Overwatch’s Roadhog, the wheezing, porcine tank from Hell, is my favorite video game character of 2016. The rush of visceral win I feel when I hook an enemy and blast scrap metal in their face is unparalleled. I love it all: the way his Scrap Gun bounces up and down when he lumbers to the objective; his full-throated,…

Most Overwatch characters are not related to each other, but as far as the community is concerned? The roster might as well be a big ‘ol family. Soldier 76, with his grumpy gruffness and ample experience in the field, is of course the dad.

Overwatch’s new hero, Ana, is a lot of things we don’t typically see in video games. She’s a sniper who heals people, an older woman, and a mother of a lady who lobs rockets at people’s faces for a living. Overwatch fans already adore her.

Lots of Overwatch fans read the game’s proud, pink-haired Russian lady soldier Zarya as gay. While perhaps not a huge deal on its own, that interpretation conflicts with homophobic views widely held in Russia and backed by the state, forcing Russian Overwatch playersto reconcile two clashing interpretations of a…

According to Overwatch’s story, Hana Song used to be a professional StarCraft 2 player. That’s DVA’s entire schtick, really: she’s a big gamer. Fans have run with that premise, and taken it to its logical (and somehow adorable) conclusion.

For months now, some Overwatch players have insisted that one hero is too strong, perhaps even overpowered. Now that the game is officially out and the hero balance is more or less set, however, I hope we can all agree that the bellyaching is all bunk.